Ten undergraduates allegedly assaulted three students with bamboo sticks in the university's indoor sports ground. One of the students, aged 20, was arrested over the alleged assault. Four students, aged between 20 and 22, suffered minor injuries. The police questioned more than 30 students.

Police Commissioner Dick Lee Ming-kwai yesterday said: 'I hope the students will spend their energy on study and sports but not anything of that nature like fighting each other.'

The fight has also prompted worries among educators that the problem of school violence has extended to the tertiary sector. There has been a spate of violent incidents in primary and secondary schools in recent months.

A police spokeswoman said a dispute over the scoreboard sparked the fight involving players from two teams. Other people became involved, some apparently trying to stop the brawl.

It is understood that the team that won, by a margin of 41 points to 39, tried to move the scoreboard to have a photo taken. The losing team objected and a fight ensued.

A spokeswoman of the university said its president, Paul Chu Ching-wu, had asked the Student Affairs Office to investigate.

In a statement, the university said: 'The university will not condone violent behaviour of any sort ... If any student is found to have committed any misconduct, the university will take the appropriate disciplinary action.'

Dennis Wong Sing-wing, associate professor of applied social studies at City University, an expert on school violence, said: 'It might imply that these supposedly high achievers actually have very low EQ [emotional quotient]. This strongly reflects a flawed education system which cares little about developing students' ability to resolve conflicts and cope with failures.'

Cheung Man-kwong, the Democratic Party legislator representing the education sector, said it was disappointing to see the violence had extended from primary and secondary schools to universities.